Dodging the bullet

AT THE ROCK — Seton Hall 75, Delaware 70. Trailing by three, the Blue Hens missed a wide-open 3-pointer with three seconds left. A few quick thoughts:

Game ball to freshman guard Jordan Theodore. People will focus on the shots he made, but Theodore’s high basketball IQ is what kept the Pirates from falling too far behind in the first half. He made the extra pass, fed the post, scooped up a couple of key loose balls and took smart shots. There’s a lot of promise there.

It’s hard to figure out Eugene Harvey. He struggled early and got sent to the bench with foul trouble, and his body language was terrible as he sat there. After what had to be an interesting halftime conversation, he made the two biggest plays in the game, turning turnovers into easy baskets as the Hall finally pulled even with 12 minutes left. Then he had some mind-boggling turnovers but made the driving layup and then a key pass that helped the Hall seal it late. The Harvey-Theodore backcourt worked well today but it will create some matchup disadvantages in Big East play.

The Pirates look uncomfortable in zone, allowing a slew of uncontested shots and getting hammered on the boards (40-30), but they had better get used to it, because the short rotation needs to conserve energy. Delaware missed at least seven wide-open looks in the first 10 minutes of the second half. A better team makes those shots and puts the game away.

Good things usually happened when John Garcia got touches early in the shot clock. Big John is playing awfully well now that he has two functional knees. He would have been an All-Big East player on two fully healthy ones.

Six guys played just about all the minutes (including 38 for Garcia). In the big picture, that should worry Pirate fans.

THE GONZO QUOTES:

On the slow start: “I don’t know if it’s because we’ve got city kids who aren’t awake until 3 in the afternoon, but we came out and we were sleep-walking.”

“The big thing we talked about at halftime was being more aggressive. Let’s attack the rim, get to the free-throw line, go to the basket, get inside touches. I think that was the difference in the game.”

On Jordan Theodore: “You’re confident with him in there. It’s a good thing five games into his freshman year. He thinks like a coach on the floor. He’s a natural born leader. He a pure point guard.”

On John Garcia: “He was terrific. He’s rebounding, he’s blocking shots, he’s getting fouled. He’s playing really good basketball, and he’s playing more minutes than he’s ever been able to play. He’s probably playing too many minutes right now. I had to what I had to do to win the game; I didn’t want to take him out. He’s doing so many good things.”

On Mike Davis’ minutes: “Mike Davis is an interesting player. He’s not as consistent right now as guy like John Garcia. John Garcia, the building could fall down, he’s not going to get rattled. Mike Davis, he’s up and down right now. It’s still going to be a process. John is a veteran.”

More Praise for Jordan Theodore:

From John Garcia: “He’s young but he doesn’t play that way. He plays like he’s been through the wars. He has a great confidence about him. When he comes into the game I’m confident that when he has the ball I know he’s going to make the right decisions. He’s going to be a great player.”

From Eugene Harvey: “It was big-time. I told him at halftime, ‘Thanks for picking up for me.’ That’s what teammates do.”

THEODORE QUOTE:

“My job off the bench is to be an energy guy and to lead the team . . . I’m really comfortable. Last year I was here a lot and watched the games, so I knew all the players. This year coming in it was ‘be a leader.’ That’s all I’ve been my whole career playing basketball.”

JOHN GARCIA QUOTES:

“We can’t go into every game down 12, 13 points. It’s something we’re definitely going to address and make a concerted effort to come out and start a little better.”

On his knee: “I’m a little sore, but I’ll get in the ice bath and be alright.”

On his many, many minutes: “It was a big emphasis in the offseason, getting prepared to play those kinds of minutes at a high level. If coach needs me to play 40 minutes that’s what I’m going to do.”

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